During my second and third years in Academy i used to talk about the decadence of higher education in Ukraine and at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in particular. My friend and I spent nights on the window sills of our student`s hostel, complaining about the hard student’s fate, and crying on each other’s shoulder. Everything was wrong: education awful and useless, there was no work after graduation, nobody was engaged in science – everyone just gets diplomas – plastic paper status selection in an even more uncertain bubble society. Professors and tutors were just like decoration and walked to the job to rid a desk and get paid. Most of those rotten apples just don’t share knowledge; they keep all the details, nuances and tricks in secret. Swarms of liberal art courses are so hermetic with their forced theoretical despair. Four millions of putzes every year listening to music on their road to stone jungles of melancholy. Finally, when I was at my fourth year, I’ve managed to keep all my thoughts, word and deeds together.. I couldn’t stand it anymore – all that awkwardness

and absurdity of profane education, so I decided to ‘get up and get out’. I continued to live in the hostel up to the end of academic year. In this situation I only make sure what a rotten system we have there. I had not been a student for three months already, and dean’s office not even found time to call and to inform my parents about it, despite the fact that there were only 3500 of students. What was stranger that even the hostel’s

commandant knew nothing about it. Thus, I lived there, went to gym, was sleeping more, became interested in arts, was thinking and searching for a job, and even tried different crazy naive things. The only thing I’m sorry for is that I haven’t left it during the 3rd year. So, if you need my advice – don’t hesitate and do it earlier (to those brave whom it may concern). The fact is that on the 4th yearyour friends and cams will dig into their diploma papers, search for work and you won’t have such great and careless communication as it was. You will spend very little time together. So first, second and third years of study is your gold time!

Finally, I’d like to figure out a specific list of reasons for my complete rejection of university education in Ukraine:

Lack of work prospects with a competitive salary.

Higher education (diploma paper) is not a social lift anymore. It became priceless, acceptable to everyone and easy to buy.

My fourth year of political studies was plainly boring. Most theoretical info is repeated from previous years and all this is available in internet. At such an age, I had no a desire to visit lectures, especially to such stupid teachers as we had from the History of Political Opinion of France – T.S.Golichenko. You know, I’ve started to respect my time and myself more.

Beginning from the second year, I was reading books during many lectures and boring seminars, sometimes under the desk, sometimes no hiding this. The trend increased when I was at my third year, and at 4th mumbling of teachers distracted and annoyed me from reading interesting things that brought with me. It was so boring and exhausting to stand seminars that after two hours of studying I went home and fell into my pillow, sick and tired like a squeezed lemon after a hard working day. So I’ve learned an important lesson – boring and not interesting lessons, tasks or work – all this is more tedious than their initial value.

Higher education in social studies and liberal arts in Ukraine is completely separated from practice (internships in public organizations, business, mass media …) Historians are not writing their book and not exploring unique things, political scientists are not applying for membership to city and regional councils. As a result, employers do not need such a contingent. Therefore, it is better to immediately apply to the party and after 4 years in it you will see the progress without wasting time at the university. But I would argue, in this case you are missing your student years. Once again, you need to work hard to create, organize, and carefully plan you leisure.

During these three years university gave me everything it could. Friends, acquaintances, contacts, outlook, erudition, certain minimal skills, some experience in different spheres. Therefore, further staying there became a waste of time. I felt it very keenly – I overcame my need for the university and wanted to move on. I was tired of everything that surrounded me. I wanted something new. I couldn’t find some new concepts and ideas while visited lectures. Therefore, in order to continue discovering and overthinking my life and the way I see myself I needed new experience and a new environment.

My plans for life were adjusting me. And I still feel this. I have already written a few lists of actions and achievements, tricks in the field of art, culture, hostels, social activities, sports, business, which I have put into practice, until I am attacked by snails. I realize that I need to hurry up in order to make my dreams and projects a reality.

Personal challenge and challenge to people, who surrounded me. After all, everyone – parents and friends – said that I will have nothing without diploma. They were trying to persuade me to keep calm and continue studying for one more year. They said ‘you will need the diploma in your life’ and i decided to prove in my own example that there is an alternative and another way, not the only one that society gives to us. You must not bend, but try to cut the threads and break fingers to the doll maker. If you don’t have a diploma it is like a burned bridge. It makes you to work harder, think faster, and do better in order to start your business.

There are some more reasons, but now I don’t remember them.

If something interesting or important comes into my mind – I will complete the article. I`m open-minded, so just ask me about this years of my life – and I will tell you the truth. I’m not shy to talk about it, so don’t hesitate.